Class MultiInstanceSolidworksManager

Namespace

Hymma.Solidworks.Extensions

Assembly

Hymma.Solidworks.Extensions.dll

Manages starting multiple SolidWorks instances without journal file conflicts.

[Obsolete("This class is not practical for production use due to SolidWorks startup time (~60+ seconds per instance). Consider using the existing SolidWorks instance or COM automation with CreateObject instead.")]
public class MultiInstanceSolidworksManager : IDisposable

Inheritance

object

MultiInstanceSolidworksManager

Implements

IDisposable

Inherited Members

object.ToString()

object.Equals(object)

object.Equals(object, object)

object.ReferenceEquals(object, object)

object.GetHashCode()

object.GetType()

object.MemberwiseClone()

Remarks

When starting multiple SolidWorks instances, each instance tries to write to the same journal file, causing a warning dialog. This class temporarily modifies the registry to give each instance a unique journal folder path, avoiding the conflict.

Supports multiple installed SolidWorks versions (e.g., 2023, 2024, 2025) and can modify registry settings for all versions or a specific version.

Note: Starting new SolidWorks instances is inherently slow (60+ seconds per instance). For most use cases, consider using the existing SolidWorks instance instead.

Properties

Instances

Gets the list of active SolidWorks instances managed by this manager.

public IReadOnlyList<SolidWorksInstanceInfo> Instances { get; }

Property Value

IReadOnlyList<SolidWorksInstanceInfo>

Methods

CloseAllInstances(bool)

Closes all managed SolidWorks instances and restores registry settings.

public void CloseAllInstances(bool forceKill = false)

Parameters

forceKill bool

If true, forcefully kills processes that don't close gracefully.

CloseInstance(SolidWorksInstanceInfo, bool)

Closes a specific SolidWorks instance and restores its registry settings.

public void CloseInstance(SolidWorksInstanceInfo instance, bool forceKill = false)

Parameters

instance SolidWorksInstanceInfo

The instance to close.

forceKill bool

If true, forcefully kills the process if it doesn't close gracefully.

Dispose()

Releases all resources and closes all managed instances.

public void Dispose()

Dispose(bool)

Releases resources.

protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)

Parameters

disposing bool

True if called from Dispose(), false if from finalizer.

~MultiInstanceSolidworksManager()

Finalizer.

protected ~MultiInstanceSolidworksManager()

GetAllInstallations()

Gets the installation information for all installed SolidWorks versions.

public static Dictionary<string, string> GetAllInstallations()

Returns

Dictionary<string, string>

Dictionary mapping version strings to executable paths.

GetDefaultSolidWorksPath()

Gets the default SolidWorks installation path (latest version).

public static string GetDefaultSolidWorksPath()

Returns

string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe or null if not found.

GetExecutablePathForVersion(string)

Gets the executable path for a specific SolidWorks version.

public static string GetExecutablePathForVersion(string version)

Parameters

version string

Version string (e.g., "SOLIDWORKS 2024").

Returns

string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe or null if not found.

GetExecutablePathForYear(int)

Gets the executable path for a specific SolidWorks version year.

public static string GetExecutablePathForYear(int year)

Parameters

year int

Version year (e.g., 2023, 2024, 2025).

Returns

string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe or null if not found.

GetInstalledVersions()

Gets all installed SolidWorks versions from the registry, ordered by version descending.

public static List<string> GetInstalledVersions()

Returns

List<string>

List of version strings (e.g., ["SOLIDWORKS 2025", "SOLIDWORKS 2024", "SOLIDWORKS 2023"]).

GetLatestInstalledVersion()

Gets the latest installed SolidWorks version from the registry.

public static string GetLatestInstalledVersion()

Returns

string

Version string (e.g., "SOLIDWORKS 2024") or null if not found.

StartInstance(string, int, ProcessWindowStyle)

Starts a new SolidWorks instance with a unique journal folder to avoid conflicts. Modifies the registry for ALL installed SolidWorks versions to prevent journal file conflicts regardless of which version starts.

public SolidWorksInstanceInfo StartInstance(string executablePath = null, int timeoutSeconds = 60, ProcessWindowStyle windowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Normal)

Parameters

executablePath string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe. If null, uses default installation path.

timeoutSeconds int

Timeout in seconds to wait for SolidWorks to start.

windowStyle ProcessWindowStyle

Window style for the new process.

Returns

SolidWorksInstanceInfo

Information about the started SolidWorks instance.

Exceptions

TimeoutException

Thrown when SolidWorks doesn't start within the timeout period.

InvalidOperationException

Thrown when unable to find or modify registry settings.

StartInstance(string, int, ProcessWindowStyle, bool, string)

Starts a new SolidWorks instance with a unique journal folder to avoid conflicts.

public SolidWorksInstanceInfo StartInstance(string executablePath, int timeoutSeconds, ProcessWindowStyle windowStyle, bool modifyAllVersions, string targetVersion)

Parameters

executablePath string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe. If null, uses default installation path.

timeoutSeconds int

Timeout in seconds to wait for SolidWorks to start.

windowStyle ProcessWindowStyle

Window style for the new process.

modifyAllVersions bool

If true, modifies registry for all installed SolidWorks versions. If false, only modifies the target version.

targetVersion string

Specific version to target (e.g., "SOLIDWORKS 2024"). If null and modifyAllVersions is false, attempts to detect from executable path.

Returns

SolidWorksInstanceInfo

Information about the started SolidWorks instance.

Exceptions

TimeoutException

Thrown when SolidWorks doesn't start within the timeout period.

InvalidOperationException

Thrown when unable to find or modify registry settings.

StartInstanceByYear(int, int, ProcessWindowStyle, bool)

Starts a new SolidWorks instance for a specific version year (e.g., 2023, 2024, 2025).

public SolidWorksInstanceInfo StartInstanceByYear(int year, int timeoutSeconds = 60, ProcessWindowStyle windowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Normal, bool modifyAllVersions = true)

Parameters

year int

The SolidWorks version year (e.g., 2023, 2024, 2025).

timeoutSeconds int

Timeout in seconds to wait for SolidWorks to start.

windowStyle ProcessWindowStyle

Window style for the new process.

modifyAllVersions bool

If true, modifies registry for all installed versions to prevent conflicts.

Returns

SolidWorksInstanceInfo

Information about the started SolidWorks instance.

StartInstances(int, string, int, int, ProcessWindowStyle)

Starts multiple SolidWorks instances sequentially.

public List<SolidWorksInstanceInfo> StartInstances(int count, string executablePath = null, int timeoutSecondsPerInstance = 60, int delayBetweenStartsMs = 2000, ProcessWindowStyle windowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Normal)

Parameters

count int

Number of instances to start.

executablePath string

Path to SLDWORKS.exe. If null, uses default installation path.

timeoutSecondsPerInstance int

Timeout in seconds for each instance to start.

delayBetweenStartsMs int

Delay in milliseconds between starting each instance.

windowStyle ProcessWindowStyle

Window style for the new processes.

Returns

List<SolidWorksInstanceInfo>

List of information about the started SolidWorks instances.